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Greetings all!
Me and my lady recently took a 3 1/2 hour plus ride on my 2013 XCT. At the end of that ride our butts were so sore and couldn't wait to get off the bike. Sadly! Which lets me know my riding time comfort limits. A 1 1/2 to 2 hours ride is ok comfort wise. But after the 2 1/2 hour mark man the butt pain starts to set in.

Can anyone provide recommendations for a good driver and passenger seat pad that fits the XCT. I've looked at the Airhawk comfort seats. But they don't look like they will fit the stock XCT seat. I'm not looking to replace the stock seat. Just adding a driver and passenger butt pads for longer rides.

Suggestions and recommendation please. As we're riding up to Ocean City another 3 plus hours ride for bike week next month and need a solution prior to that trip.
Thx!

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It is definitely not advised to stay in the saddle more than 1.5 - 2 hrs at the best of times! Best thing is to get off somewhere in that time frame and walk around / go potty / fill up bike / drink water ( fluids are most important) and then continue! I am one of those ride till I drop kinda guy - but the ole lady has started having leg issues so now I have to stop frequently - and I am not going to admit it - but I do feel better after a 500 - 800 mile day! Go figure?

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Air Hawks are the only pads that work and really a pad is a pad..I'm not sure how you consider one better looking than the other...(only your ass should have an opinion) The stock seat foam is cheap and loses support after a short time and you end up pretty much on the seat pan, especially if its hot.
If you plan lots of longer trips you should really consider an after market touring seat, some of them are incredible.

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Yep! I definitely will consider a touring seat at a later point in time. As I do enjoy the longer rides. But need something to assist with a little longer rides right now in lieu of replacing the stock seat.

Premium Member

I have used an Airhawk R on my XTC seat for the last year with GREAT results. It fits great, and I din't even use the straps that come with it. The rubber base is so "grippy" that it doesn't budge, even in spirited riding.
I have no a$$, so I'd start getting pain/pressure after 45-60 minutes. With the Airhawk, I have gone up to 2 hours without stopping (not my favorite thing ever, but wanted to see if I could do it).
The new Airhawk R is slightly smaller (I have one, but haven't used it yet). The company changed ownership, and they slightly changed the product line. IIRC, they have a "double your miles guarantee", so what's to lose?

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Airhawk R worked for me, before I upgraded my seat. I used it for about six months and sold it on this forum. Got half my money back. The airhawk is an expensive pad, but not as expensive as a new Russell Day long. It's an investment! and worth the money. In hind sight I would have skipped the pad. I had hope, that it would be good enough!

Professional Big Game Hunter! & Ballroom Dancer! Natural born judge of fine whiskey! Smart enough to NEVER compliment a lady on her mustache! No matter how magnificent!
2014 XCT, stock, with a loud horn!

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I stopped in a goldwing shop on a trip and found they had all kinds of pads. They let me take different ones out and try on bike. I found sheepskin to be the best. That was 8 thousand miles ago and still like it. The iron butt rider use wood beads and he sits in his seat longer than any of us.

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You can get something even better than Anti-monkey butt powder at less than half the cost. Go to any big-box pharmacy and look for powder than contains corn starch and talc. The AMB powder is only talc. The addition of corn starch will better absorb water. You can get the better working powder far cheaper since it is not branded and targeted at motorcycling.

2006 HD Softail Heritage (my bike when I was in MI - sold in Oct, 2017 after putting 45,000 miles and 20 states and one province on it - My first big bike and most of us will always remember our first with fond memories)

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Just picked up some Anti Monkey Butt from Rite Aid across the street. Going to trying some of that now for the 30 minute HOV commute home. LOL
But Yes, I think I'm going to give the Airhawk seat pads a try. Waiting on the little lady thoughts right now for her seat in the rear.

Premium Member

Just picked up some Anti Monkey Butt from Rite Aid across the street. Going to trying some of that now for the 30 minute HOV commute home. LOL
But Yes, I think I'm going to give the Airhawk seat pads a try. Waiting on the little lady thoughts right now for her seat in the rear.

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Premium Member

Some of it is simply to get the backside used to sitting in a saddle. I'm on the heavy side so anything with cheap foam that compresses completely will cut off circulation. I have been known to stand up slightly, hold my self up with my legs, and lean my butt against the backrest but that's riding alone. It wouldn't be a good idea to do that 2 up.

Having said all that; the 2 products that seem to stand out are the Airhawk pads and the bead pads. The nice thing about the bead pads is they allow air flow which is great in hot weather. The Airhawk will help with pressure points.

I know it may seem counter-intuitive that sitting on wood (or ceramic -- recommended) beads is comfortable, but they let you move around easier, and let air flow underneath (and you don't sit right on the wet seat after rain or morning dew). It helps if you already have a padded butt; bony butts need not apply. It also helps if you wear overpants of some sort; I wear FirstGear HT Overpants for long superslab days, and with the beads did four 800+ mile days on my Burgman 650 scooter (the bike before my XCT). The beads will raise you up about 1/2", if that matters to you; I have several pics of the beads in my gallery.

This is a very inexpensive experiment -- perhaps the cheapest here -- if you want to give it a shot.

3) I used a sheepskin cover on my Valkyrie (two bikes before my XCT), and didn't really think that much of it. Same situation as the Pro Pad (IMHO).

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